What we've been reading - Ultra-Processed People
In this Castlefield Co-owner book review, Nathan Cameron reviews Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Telleken - an eye-opening dissection of the food industry and an alarming discovery of what really goes into our food.
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Telleken
“You are what you eat”, so the saying goes, but if this alarming book by Dr Chris Van Tulleken is anything to go by, we should all be worried.
In this book, the author (a doctor, scientist who has worked on the study of infectious diseases, journalist and well-known BBC broadcaster), informs us of the state of play of the global food production industry.
As a parent of two and an enthusiastic amateur athlete, I considered myself to be reasonably aware of the effect that diet has on the human body. However, the author lays bare the extent of Frankenstein-foods consumed and the damage they inflict.
He introduces a plethora of additives, emulsifiers, flavourings, stabilisers and other scientifically-engineered ingredients, then outlines just how prevalent they are within the foods that we (and our children) consume on a daily basis. It’s almost impossible to escape their clutches.
After introducing the different categories for defining processed food, he focuses on the worst offending - group four. Ultra-processed food (UPF).
NB: Processed foods can be broken down into different categories. Food Group 1 “unprocessed or minimally processed foods,” includes simple foods like meat, fruits, flour, and pasta. Group 2 “processed culinary ingredients” has ingredients used in cooking, like oils, butter, sugar, honey, and starches. Group 3 is made up of ready-to-eat mixes of the first two groups, processed to stay fresh, such as beans, salted nuts, and smoked meat. Finally, Group 4 is all about “ultra-processed foods”, which are made with advanced equipment and technology, mostly for industrial use.
UPF is created in a way mainly to maximise profit, with extremely low-cost ingredients and long shelf life. There’s a longer, more formal scientific definition, but in summary: if it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF.
The history, science and nutrition surrounding UPF is also covered extensively - I never knew that the first synthetic magerine was created after the war from the by-product of low quality coal. Yes, black rocks!
"If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF"
UPF is not food that was created to nourish you. “It's an industrially produced edible substance.”
Dr Chris (as my kids know him from Operation Ouch!) then regales his own personal account of how he and his twin brother have struggled with gaining weight, and attributes this to an addiction to UPF.
Numerous stats, facts and data from various studies are included to show that the issue isn’t simply anecdotal. He also explains how a lot of the counter studies and trials are flawed, as they are funded by the food industry themselves, with little regard or transparency around potential conflicts of interest.
“It's an industrially produced edible substance.”
Alarmingly, it’s not just the eaters who are at risk by this diet of consumption in terms of excess weight gain, health issues, obesity and even resistance to antibiotics. Dr Chris also points to the fact that the environment and wider society, are also being affected too. It’s a shocking resumé.
The book came highly recommended by an ex-colleague of mine and it didn’t disappoint.
Am I more aware of what I eat and has it changed how I shop? Definitely. This book made me look more closely at food labels and question my future food choices.
Have I cut UPF from my diet? No, but it has significantly reduced, much to the displeasure of my children. Sadly it is, as the author notes, almost impossible to avoid consuming some form of UPF.
However most weekends involve some form of batch cooking and home-baking to ensure we have a “less-bad” sugary snack to turn to.
What Castlefield is doing about this
At Castlefield, having a healthier food industry and enabling access to healthier food is an important part of the engagement work we do. We’re signatories to ShareAction’s Healthy Markets initiative which aims to tackle rising childhood obesity levels by mobilising the investment industry to generate positive impact. We’ve engaged with holdings and reported on some specific companies that aim to create a better and healthier food sector. Please see the links below for more detail.
https://www.castlefield.com/home/media/blog/healthy-markets-initiative/
https://www.castlefield.com/home/media/blog/healthy-markets-initiative-unilever-agm/
https://www.castlefield.com/home/media/blog/castlefield-stock-story-britvic/
https://www.castlefield.com/home/media/blog/uk-stock-story-anpario/